YOU! Yes, YOU! You are Oregon Thespians. Help us celebrate our successes and pave the way for a productive future by nominating yourself or others for awards and leadership positions within the organization.

Students can apply to become State Thespian Officers (STO). Complete information can be found by clicking here. STO attend and lead all major Thespian events, including Camp Thespis, Leadership Summit, Improv, Regionals and State, and participate in five Board Meetings each year. It’s a big commitment, but check it out!

Registration is still a ways away, but it’s not too early to consider your selections. Remember that students can enter up to three events. No more than two can be musical events, and no student may enter any event more than once. Students may also only enter one event from each of the non-musical event ‘columns.’ Column A events are Solo Acting, Pantomime and Group Acting. Column B events are Duo Dramatic Acting and Duo Comedic Acting. Again, the entry limit per student is three total events.

Each troupe also has a limit to the number of entries they can register for each event. Troupe Directors have this information.

All selections must be from published works written for the theatre. Original scripts, non-published sources, or material written for television, movies, or recordings, cabarets, and concerts are not permitted. If you hope to participate in the National Individual Events Showcase (NIES) in Lincoln, at the International Thespian Festival, you will want to review the information regarding material selection and performance rights found in the 2016-2017 NIES Guidelines. In Lincoln, you must provide proof that you have obtained the publisher’s permission to perform any non-musical work (musical events do not require permission in this setting). There is some very helpful information about this on the last few pages of the NIES Guidelines.

We do not require you to show proof of permission at Regionals or State for any events in Oregon, but material must still be from a published source and written for the theatre.

Keep in mind that just because a script or score is available to view or download online does not mean the work has been published. The internet has unfortunately made it easy for people to unwittingly become involved in copyright infringement, especially when it comes to sheet music. If you don’t think this is a big deal to the copyright owners involved, check out what some of your favorite Broadway composers have to say in this Playbill article, or in this catchy YouTube tune which features some familiar faces.

Pantomime is the odd-man-out when it comes to these guidelines. There is no longer a Pantomime event at the International Festival but we still have it in Oregon, probably because — at about the time they were phasing it out in Lincoln — we all got see this student performance in our Oregon Showcase. There is a long history of quality Pantomime entries in Oregon, and we’ll keep supporting that kind of work!

Except for Pantomime (which is an Oregon-only event), we align our event rules and guidelines at Regionals and State with the NIES Guidelines, so review this material as you begin rehearsing and preparing to blow us all away.

Why: This is Oregon’s only statewide professional development directed solely at theatre educators. Give yourself the gift of time on the coast with your colleagues, further developing your craft. Click here for complete information.

This weekend, more than 400 Thespians will gather in Bend, OR to create spontaneous theatre together. The 2016 Improv Festival will feature a few new elements, designed to put more improvisation in the mix.

During their (abbreviated) prep time, teams will have specific instructions to follow, guiding them to create a 4 minute scene (max) around the prompts and inspirations given. Then, during each round, a new element will be introduced which must be incorporated into the scene. The scene will never be the same all day!

After a wildly successful and record-breaking CAMP THESPIS, the 2016-2017 Thespian Year is off to a great start! There are two immediate things to attend to:

LEADERSHIP SUMMIT 2016 is September 24 and 25 in Ashland! Each Oregon Thespian Troupe is invited to send two delegates. Homestays are available Saturday night and all registered delegates will see THE WIZ at the Elizabethan Theatre at Oregon Shakespeare Festival. The summit begins at 1:30 pm on Saturday, September 24 and concludes at Noon on Sunday, September 25. This event is free, but a deposit must be paid to secure your participation. Click here for more information.

THE 2016 IMPROV FESTIVAL is October 1 at Summit HS in Bend, and this year’s event will feature a trial run of some new features! This year, teams will have less time to prepare and receive new prompts in each of their rounds! It’s improv all day! Junior Thespians are also invited to attend. Click here for more information.

Deadline for registering for Leadership Summit is Friday, September 9 (name changes will be allowed through September 22). Click here!

Deadline for registering for IMPROV is Thursday, September 22. Click here!

The center of Oregon’s Educational Theatre Galaxy is Salem, this weekend, as STATE WARS begins. Nearly 1300 Thespians will create three days of theatrical adventure, celebrating excellence throughout the state. On Friday, over 250 Junior Thespians will join the mix!

We’re just two weeks away from the premiere high school theatre event in Oregon! Begin planning now for STATE WARS, The 2016 Oregon Thespians State Festival.

The online GUIDEBOOK will be active by March 29. PDF copies of the schedule, along with workshop and one-act descriptions, will be posted here as well. If you want printed copies at State, make sure you download and print before heading to Salem.

You can download GUIDEBOOK (for iOS and Android) on March 29. In the meantime, here’s the basic rundown of the Festival’s events (subject to change):

Showcase Auditions, Design/Tech Adjudication, and Honor Troupe Presentations will take place as scheduled from 12-5. Your Troupe can sign up to help spread the word about Oregon Thespians and the final day of Theatre In Our Schools Month on the Capitol Steps!

Oregon Thespians’ premiere event is March 31 through April 2 as Thespians gather in Salem for STATE WARS, our 2016 State Festival.

MARCH 3 IS THE DEADLINE for registration, along with several other special opportunities that you won’t want to miss. Click the links below for more information.

Register for STATE by clicking here. Registration must be done by Troupe Directors and payment must be received in advance of the Festival. Seating in the Elsinore Theatre is assigned in the order that registration payments are received.